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Smoke Free 70 days!

I slept pretty good last night and woke up this morning one minute before my alarm went off! I LOVE IT! Okay, here’s what I did differently. No caffeine after 2:00 p.m., no chocolate, food, or sugar after 7:00 p.m. I also had a glass of cold milk about 8:00 p.m. At 8:30 I turned off the TV and said the Rosary. At 9:00 p.m. I went to bed and fell asleep pretty quick because I did not see the clock at 9:30 or 10:00 like I have been. Some thoughts and worries came into my mind but I made a mental note and said to myself, “Ok, got that one down so don’t think about it anymore.” When another worry would come into my mind I would do the same thing. Actually, I only had three things I was worried about and then I fell asleep. Oh, I did take the herbal combination at 7:45 or so. I’m not sure if it was one thing or the combination of things but I feel rested, I was able to take my time getting ready this morning – even said the Rosary again from 6:30 to 6:50 a.m. Nice way to start my day.

This is my second day without Chantix. Not sure if that is why I was able to sleep better or not. A friend of mine here at work quit taking Chantix after two weeks because he could not sleep at all. He still is not smoking. I am not really worried about quitting Chantix after only 6 weeks. I don’t like the things I am hearing in the news about it. The sooner I am off any drug, the better in my book. I can always start taking it again if I need to. I am hoping not.

Smoke Free 69 Days!

Today I have stopped taking my Chantix. From all I have read, there is no need to taper off. It has a half life of 24 hours, so in approximately 5 days it will completely be out of my system. This is true no matter what dosage you are taking 1mg, 2mg, .5mg, etc. So, in five days I will be smoke free and Chantix free. I have to say, with all the controversy surrounding Chantix, I will be glad to have it out of my system. Even though I did not have any of the weird side effects that people are claiming, I will just feel better knowing that is one less medication I will need to take. Others that have used Chantix have said they didn’t notice any withdrawel symptoms when they stopped the Chantix. I am hoping for the same. I am so glad that someone invented this drug that has helped me when no other
system worked before.

Now, I want my hour back! This is not a fun thing. I have had problems falling asleep, waking during the night, and not being able to get up in the morning, since I quit smoking. While I was smoking, I would go to bed at 8:30 or 9:00 p.m. and wake up automatically at 5:00 or 5:30 a.m. I rarely had to set my alarm. Now, I can’t hardly get up in the morning. I moved my alarm clock across the room so I have to get out of bed to hit the snooze at 5:30 a.m. So now I get out of bed and hit the snooze, get back into bed and 10 minutes later it goes off again. So then I set three alarms. One on my cell phone for 5:30 and it’s really annoying and is right beside my bed and I have to open my eyes to turn it off other wise it just snoozes for 5 minutes. Then I have my radio come on at 5:45, then I have my alarm clock go off at 6:00. You would think with all of this i would be able to wake up enough to get out of bed. Nope! I can let that radio blare and the alarm beep louder and louder and still lay there in bed fall back to sleep! Help!

Okay, now let’s back up a bit. My evening routine consists of coming home, cooking or warming up something for dinner, then eating and watching the news. About 6 or 6:30 I will take 2-Tylenol PM (Diphenhydramine hydrochloride and Acetaminophen), or 2 Benadryl (Diphenhydramine hydrochloride), or one Herb capsule that contains (Valerian Root, Melatonin, and Chamomile). I only take one type as directed. I tried the Benadryl because I was not in pain and did not feel the acetaminophen was necessary. I thought I would try the herbs because they are natural, and since I quit smoking I am concerned about only taking natural things and not becoming addicted to something else.

So, here is the breakdown on how each has worked for me:

1. Tylenol PM-works sometimes but I am super sleepy in the morning.

2. Benadryl-same as above except I have to take 3 instead of two. (Don’t know why) I am not as sleepy in the morning.

3. Herbs-I take one capsule and it seems to work 4 hours. One time I woke up and took another one about 10:30 and was really sleepy in the morning. But I took it on a night I didn’t have to wake up early the next morning so that might be why I slept late. If I don’t take another one, I am awake every hour during the night and sleepy, but not horribly, in the morning.

These days, it seems like everyone’s having trouble sleeping. So if you’re not feeling rested, you’re in good company.

Fortunately, there are things you can do about it.

A Good Night’s Sleep.

Getting a decent night’s sleep is important for living a healthy life. If you’re well rested, it’s easier to cope with bad moods and stressful events.

There are ways to help you get a good night’s sleep. For instance, try going to bed at the same time every night. Develop a bedtime routine. Perhaps take a warm bath and read before you go to sleep. Try and take some quiet time, too. It may help.

Having a dark, quiet bedroom may help as well. If it’s noisy, or you have a partner who snores, consider earplugs. If light is a problem, think about getting an eye mask or hanging dark blinds over the window.

Here are some other tips:

If you need an afternoon nap, take it at the same time every day.

Avoid caffeine in the last 4 hours before bed. Alcohol may make it easier to drop off, but your sleep will be of poorer quality.

Avoid alcohol before bed.

Alcohol may make it easier to drop off, but your sleep will be of poorer quality.

If you want to read, watch TV or do anything else, it’s best to do it in a room other than your bedroom.

If you go to bed and can’t sleep, get up again. Stay up until you feel tired and try again. If that doesn’t work, repeat the process until it does.